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Heidi Klum Spills Her Secret to Rocking Stilettos and Pampering Her Feet

Heidi Klum’s got legs-for-days so she could probably get away with never wearing a pair of painful pumps in her life! But as a globally-recognized supermodel and host of television shows, including Project Runway and Germany’s Next Top Model, trend-setting footwear is a part of the biz. And even a stunner like Klum can’t escape the pain that sometimes goes hand-in-hand with a killer pair of shoes. So she’s teamed up with the foot support and care expert, Dr. Scholl’s, to launch their latest series of inserts—the DreamWalk collection. We chatted with Klum about how she takes care of her tootsies and how she takes care of herself, all while juggling a booming career and four super-cute kids.

So obviously you spend a lot of time walking in heels and on your feet all day. How does Dr. Scholl’s play a role in your daily life?
“Well, it is a new role in my life; they were not really on my radar before, like I don’t know why not. You know, from wearing the highest heels for so many years and I just never thought of putting a cushion in my shoe—how stupid? But it makes such a huge difference, when you’re on your feet for 10 to 14 hours a day and I wear more heels than I do flats, in my job I kind of have to. Like if I don’t, people usually say ‘Oh, you’re so much shorter than I thought!’”

So who introduced you to Dr. Scholl’s?
“They did. They came to me and they said, ‘We would like to talk with you about doing a business venture together. We would like to have you do our commercials and our ads’ and I said ‘I wanted to see the product first. I want to see if I like it.’ So they sent me the product and I was just filming Germany’s Next Top Model and I film that for four months and it’s a grueling schedule in terms of being on my feet; it’s probably the hardest. You know, when I do America’s Got Talent, I sit at my desk all day; on Project Runway, I stand on the runway, but then I usually sit in my chair, so it’s fine. Even though sometimes the heels can hurt too when you sit in them too long, it’s also not the most comfortable all day, but when I do Top Model, I’m on my feet the longest. So it was a great time for me to try this. It makes a huge difference because you have that extra arch support. And no one sees that. No one knows, you hide it in your shoe. You stick it down; it doesn’t slide around. It’s in there and it’s perfect.”

On the topic of taking care of your feet, what are some other ways that you get your feet pedicure-ready for spring?
“I do get a lot of manicures and pedicures. But that also comes with my business. You know, I always think it’s important to have beautiful hands and beautiful feet. You just never know what shoe they’re going to give you and then you have to take your shoes off and they’re like ‘Oh my god!’ You know, in my business, hands and feet always have to look good.”

Do you have a favorite pedicure color?
“It depends on what I’m doing. Like I was just on holiday so I had turquoise, which I loved.”

Is there anything you do at home that’s pampering? Something you do to treat yourself?
“I don’t really have time! I have my hair and makeup team and I trust them. For me, I just eat really well, really healthily; I stay away from bad things. We do smoothies every morning. We cook every day and I try to really rotate the fish and the chicken and the vegetables and the salads. So for me, I try to do everything from the inside to be healthy. And for the beauty department, I let my team take care of that.”

Sometimes a great pair of shoes can make an entire outfit. Do you have a beauty equivalent to that?
“Well, it always depends on the outfit. You have to start with the outfit and then you have to think about what you want to do with your hair. I don’t really have super big lips, so I usually do my eyes bigger than my mouth. Every once in a while, I will do a bold mouth because sometimes it’s like a statement—like a fuchsia or a red. I never really go brown, that doesn’t really go with me, or if it’s too dark, that doesn’t look good on me. I like friendlier colors better.”

We know you travel so much for work, so how do you find time to stay fit?
“Well, when I’m at home with four kids, it’s a workout by itself to be honest. They always want to do something, so I’m always running after them. I was just in the Bahamas, but it wasn’t like a holiday. It was like, ‘Let’s go down the slide! Let’s go do the lazy river! Come in the ocean with me! Can you blow this up? Let’s do a sandcastle! Let’s go chasing!’ You know, it’s always something. So it’s not like I’m just lying there and sunbathing all day; it’s constant. There’s always something they want to do and I understand that. When I have time, I try to run. I have a great treadmill at home and even just to get two miles in, every now and then, makes a huge difference for me. Cardio is important because also it’s good for your heart and when we get older, we have to make sure the heart is with it, too. So it’s not just about being fit in your body. I think it’s important to have a healthy heart too, so you have to keep it pumping!”